The Postcard
A postcard published by W.H.S.
The card was posted in London using a ½d. stamp on Thursday the 26th. October 1916 to:
Gunner A. Marrs,
Hants Royal Garrison Artillery,
Fort Gilkicker,
Stokes Bay,
Gosport,
Hants.
The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Please excuse card but I
have very few minutes to
myself.
I have been out looking
for work but no luck.
I am now in Victoria Station.
I must go somewhere to
break the monotony.
Love from May."
The Hotel Cecil
Note the Hotel Cecil on the left of the photograph. Designed by architects Perry & Reed in a "Wrenaissance" style, the hotel was the largest in Europe when it opened, with more than 800 rooms. The proprietor, Jabez Balfour, later went bankrupt and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The hotel was requisitioned for the Great War effort in 1917 by the Air Board, and the very first headquarters of the fledgling RAF took up part of the hotel from 1918 to 1919.
The Hotel Cecil was largely demolished in 1930, retaining only its Strand façade, and Shell Mex House now stands on its site.
Fort Gilkicker
Fort Gilkicker is to the east of Stokes Bay. It was built in 1871 to guard the headland and the western approach to Portsmouth Harbour. It housed 21 gun emplacements.
The fort was used in both world wars and fell into disrepair soon after the end of WWII. It is on the Buildings at Risk Register, and support is being sought for its conservation.
Victoria Embankment Gardens
The Victoria Embankment Gardens are a series of gardens on the north side of the River Thames between Blackfriars Bridge and Westminster Bridge in London.
History of the Gardens
Between 1865 and 1870, the northern embankment and sewer was built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette. In 1874 gardens were created on the reclaimed land on the inward side of the roadway named Victoria Embankment.
There were four sections created, the Temple Garden to the east, the Main Gardens to the west (originally known as the Adelphi Gardens), and two other sections to the south following the bend of the Thames.
The gardens are now under the control of the City of Westminster.
Features of the Gardens
The gardens are fully fenced, and are open during designated hours. They open at 07:30 throughout the year, but close at varying times between 16:30 during the coldest months and 21:30 at the height of summer.
All gardens have gravel paths that are well-lined with seats mainly given as memorials. The river side of the gardens is lined with mature trees. Grass and flower beds are spread throughout the gardens, and on warm days workers from near-by establishments can be seen having picnic lunches both on the seats and the grass.
Statues in the Gardens
In the Temple section there are statues to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and John Stuart Mill.
The main section has memorials to Sir Arthur Sullivan, Robert Burns, Sir Wilfred Lawson, Robert Raikes and the Imperial Camel Corps.
The southern section has memorials to General Sir James Outram, General Gordon, Air Marshal Lord Trenchard, and the Chindit Memorial which also commemorates Orde Wingate.
A memorial to the British soldiers in the Korean War was unveiled in Victoria Embankment Gardens, between the River Thames and the Ministry of Defence headquarters in December 2014.
Although not strictly a statue, there is an equatorial sundial made from stainless steel in the main garden under the Savoy, dedicated to Richard D'Oyly Carte.
Facilities in the Gardens
In the main garden there is a café, open in the warmer periods, and a band shell where concerts are held daily in June and July. A charge is made for seats in the enclosure, but the concerts can easily be heard outside on the paths' seats.
The York Water Gate can be seen adjacent to the Villier Street entrance. This marks the original bank of the Thames, which is now 135 metres away.
Public toilets are outside the gardens' Embankment gate next to the underground station.
Battle of Transylvania
So what else happened on the day that May posted the card?
Well, on the 26th. October 1916, German forces invaded the Oltenia region in Romania, and advanced within reach of the city of Târgu Jiu before Romanian forces slowed the advance.
The Battle of the Ancre Heights
Also on that day, German relief forces tried to recapture Regina Trench north of Le Sars, France, from the British, but it proved to be a costly failure.
The Battle of Dover Strait
Also on that day, German torpedo boats raided the Strait of Dover over a 48-hour period in order to disrupt Allied shipping.
One of the ships sunk was British steamship TSS The Queen, which was captured and sunk by a German destroyer.
François Mitterrand
The 26th. October 1916 also marked the birth in Jarnac, France of François Mitterrand, 21st. President of France.
Mitterrand died in 1996.
Herman Bank
Also born on that day, in Vineland, New Jersey, was Herman Bank. Herman was an American engineer, a member of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and lead developer of the first American satellite, Explorer 1.
Herman died in 2012.
Payne Jennings Jr.
Also born on the 26th. October 1916, in Chicago, was Payne Jennings Junior.
Payne was an American air force officer, best known for his involvement in the Roswell UFO incident of 1947. He was a recipient of the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross.
On the 26th. September 1950, Jennings was assigned to Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan Headquarters, 19th. Bombardment Group as group commander. In addition to overseeing command of the Group, Jennings personally flew in over 28 bombing missions, several of which he led.
During the initial three months of the Korean war, the 19th. performed at an intense and exceptional level of operations where they continued to fly at the highest possible sortie rate that could be sustained on a seven-day week.
The Group flew its 128th. mission on Christmas Day since the advent of hostilities on the 25th. June, and without a single replacement since the war started.
In addition to being the initial bomb group to enter the Korean War, the 19th. Bombardment Group had an exclusive experimental weapon, a radio-guided bomb called the Tarzon Bomb.
This huge 12,000-pound bomb required special conditioning to the underside of three B-29s, one of which was lost carrying 34 year old Colonel Jennings and his crew on the 29th. March 1951.
His B-29 lost two engines in an attempt to launch the Tarzon Bomb at a very low altitude over the ocean, resulting in a premature detonation that took their aircraft down. After a full-scale area search, no trace of the B-29 or those on board was found, and the search was suspended on the 7th. April 1951.